The United States Postal Service (USPS) is an independent government agency that provides mail delivery and other services to the public. The USPS is widely recognized as a safe and reliable means for sending and receiving mail and other items. With the advent and steady growth of electronic mail and electronic commerce, the physical mail stream will increasingly be utilized for sending and receiving packages. In an effort to lower operating costs and increase value for their customer base, many high volume delivery users and delivery system operators prepare packages and other items with automated equipment and presort and label the items prior to placement of the items into the delivery system. Delivery users realize a cost savings due to presorting, for example, because many delivery system operators provide discounts on presorted items because the amount of sorting necessary by the delivery system operator is reduced. Software can be used to assist sorting.
Therefore, there is a need for the United States Postal Service and many other organizations to efficiently provide evaluation of presorting software programs. More specifically, delivery system operators desire to efficiently evaluate presorting software programs in order to confirm that the software's performance is compatible with delivery system operation procedures. This is because in an increasingly competitive environment, it is essential for a service provider to reduce costs and exceed the expectations of those who receive a service.